Nobis and Cook: Connecting Comics and Essays

Nobis Nobis and Cook: Connecting Comics and Essays

Mitch Nobis and Rick Cook are teacher consultants from Red Cedar Writing Project, and presented a number of ways that they connect graphic novels and expository writing in their writing classes. They will also be presenting a similar session at Bright Ideas.

Thinking about what comics are and how they fit in to the curriculum

People’s perceptions of “graphic” novels

Is it a long comic?

Are they just for entertainment?

Rick showed up and found out that he had to teach Maus, Mitch always wanted to teach it.

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Author: Troy Hicks

Dr. Troy Hicks is a professor of English and education at Central Michigan University. He directs both the Chippewa River Writing Project and the Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree program.
A former middle school teacher, Dr. Hicks has authored numerous books, articles, chapters, blog posts, and other resources broadly related to the teaching of literacy in our digital age. Follow him on Twitter: @hickstro
View all posts by Troy Hicks

3 thoughts on “Nobis and Cook: Connecting Comics and Essays”

I was glad to find your post as I was looking for blogs on using graphic novels in the classroom. I’m currently in a graduate class which studies visual texts and their possible uses in the classroom. I was excited to see this post because it is spreading the uses of graphic novels/comics in the classroom.

Before I read McCloud’s Understanding Comics, I did not see much value in this genre. This was due completely to my ignorance. Now, my brain is flooded with ideas for potential classroom applications. Your post added to this by expanding my notions of how to use this genre to help my students and still be seen as a teacher who “follows standards.”

I was especially interested in the ideas for Maus that pertained to literary analysis as text as evidence. These are difficult concepts for students of all reading levels. However, the use of graphic novels and comics to explore this critical thinking is an amazing tool.

I am especially interested in how comics and graphic novels can be incorporated into the English classroom to help improve critical thinking skills and improve writing skills. Thank you for your ideas and I look forward to exploring your blog further.

Thanks for your comment here and insights on using comics and graphic novels. I agree that McCloud’s text is great, as it opened my eyes to the many rhetorical aspects that comics uses to make arguments and tell stories.

The “standards” question is important, too, as it does affect teachers’ day-to-day lives as they teach. Interestingly enough, Michigan has created some new ELA high school content expectations as well as technology/media expectations that rely heaviliy on visual literacy. Thus, Rick and Mitch were making a strong, “standards-based” argument for using graphic novels in the classroom.

I would be interested in hearing more about your work — please keep in touch.